The House with Two Front Doors

With it being the middle of winter we planned on making full use of our National Trust membership this weekend and visit a few attractions in the area.  On researching last night, it became apparent that a lot of the houses were closed until the end of February/March.  Big disappointment.  

Mr C discovered one open woohoo!  Batemans, the home to Rudyard Kipling.  About 15 minutes from where we were staying.  However, the satnav took us cross country and the roads were ungritted and treacherous.  We got stuck on some ice as we pulled in to let a van go past but kept sliding backwards (we were also on a slight hill).  With the car behind us reversing further back we were able to also reverse back to get back on clear road and then drive.  A little hairy to say the least.  The rest of the weekend we tried to stay on all main roads.

Back to Batemans.  There was a guide in each room who were full of enthusiasm about the house and its owners and it’s always more interesting to find out more information rather than just looking around.

From there we drove to Rye (main blip) and had a good wander around stopping for a hot chocolate for me and coffee for Mr C.  From there we headed along the coast to Hastings.  The old part of the town is lovely and reminds me a little of Brighton Lanes.  We managed to arrive in time for sunset, walk around town and stopped for something to eat before heading back to the hotel.  A lovely day and we were exhausted by the time we got back.

Extras…. Batemans plus one of the golf course at the hotel we were staying at, sunset and Hastings.